Hey everyone. I hope you enjoy this story. It will alternate POVs between Katniss and Peeta.

(Peeta)

All I felt was emptiness. My brother was one year from ageing out and yet was reaped along with our longtime friend Madge. None of this was okay. The odds were not in my families favour. I wondered what he was up to. Was he enjoying the train ride? Marvelling at the luxury of it all? Eating expensive scones that my family could never afford to make? My brother was such a calm person. A little bit of a player, but with a heart of gold. There was no way he could hurt anyone. He was going to be a corpse in a few weeks on live national television. I felt sick. I hated the Capital. The Oligarchy that controlled the Districts.

I was late for school. Just because my brother had a death sentence didn't' mean I got a break. Just as the bell rang, I hurried in, and sure enough, there she was at the back alone. I plopped my bag down on the table and turned to her.

"Sorry do you mind?"

She looked startled, "Me?"

"Yes, do you mind?"

"Why would I mind?" she questioned as if I was stupid.

"Uh, I don't know, because I…" this was not going to way I hoped.

"Because you're from town? I'm half merchant too."

"I know," I said.

She looked startled again, "How do you know that?"

"My dad and your mom used to date." I wanted to make her feel like I didn't judge her.

"No," she said, "My mom loved only my dad."

"Yes, she was engaged to my father and then ran off with a coal miner. Your dad. My father understood why though. When he sang the birds stopped singing."

"They do. Or they did," she said, but then narrowed her eyes.

"What?"

"Nothing, just not sure why you're talking to me."

"I'm sitting beside you."

"Why aren't you up front with your… friends."

"I'd rather sit in the back."

"Okay sure," she replied and then ignored me for the rest of the class. It didn't go as I'd hoped. Not even remotely close. It just crushed my spirits further.

"How was it slumming back there with Catpiss?" asked Jordy, the shoemaker's son. We'd been friends since we were in cribs, but lately, I'd grown tired of him and everyone else.

"Katniss," I corrected, "She's nice. Didn't talk to me much."

"Well we all know that Everdeen is batshit crazy," he told me.

"I heard that she was sent to the psych wing at the Justice Building after her father died," added Clara, my girlfriend. Or the girl my mother decided was for me.

"I heard that she goes to cray for money," said Gwendall, Clara's best friend.

"And how would you know unless you were at Cray's?" I questioned.

"Oh Peeta, are you really defending her?" She asked me.

"No, I just don't know her at all. So I can't say much about her." Except I knew everything about her. From the way, she wrinkled her nose, as she answers a tough math question. To the way she practised singing in the choir room after school when she thought everyone had left. How she bites her lip as she tries to make a deal with my father. She fascinated me, yet scared me, and I respected the hell out of her. She'd somehow managed to keep her family alive after the death of their breadwinner. Through her grief, she learned how to hunt. Most were too scared to venture into the woods. It was illegal after all.

The rest of the day went by. Clara tried to hang out with me after school, but I just lacked the interest. I was sad, and I wanted to be away from those in my District who said they felt sorry for me but were too selfish to feel empathy. I found myself walking to the Hob. The only place where I could drink without people judging me.

"Baker boy?" asked Haymitch Abernathy, the town drunk.

"What's it to you?" I snapped.

"I'm sorry about your brother," He said.

"Shouldn't you be with him?" I asked. Haymitch was after all one of the Victors.

"It's Gale's turn," he said, "Boy's first games." I did feel better about Gale being with my brother rather than a drunk. Even though I wanted to hate Gale, I used to, but after the games, I couldn't. It wasn't fair after Katniss turned him down in front of the entire district. Plus it's abhorrent to hate a victor. Not after everything they've gone through.

"It's on me," said Haymitch as he poured me a glass of the beer. Just then Katniss Everdeen came in.

"Oh pour me one too Haymitch," she said in her Seam Accent. She didn't use it much at school, but when It slipped out, I loved it.

"What's the townie doing here?" she questioned.

"Same as all of us. Drowning the pain caused by the games," said Haymitch.

"You know him?" I asked Katniss.

"Of course. He's my best customer," she said.

"You run the bar?"

"I've taken over for Sae. She's getting older," she told me, "Better than the mines."

"I'm glad you aren't going down into the mines," I said.

"Why would you care?"

"Because your dad died in the mines. Doesn't seem like an easy place to go."

"You don't know anything about my father," she snapped.

"Katniss lighten up. The boy is having a rough day," said Haymitch.

She scoffed, "I'm having a rough day too."

"You were friends with her right? Madge?" I asked gently.

"A bit," she said, but I knew it was a lie. Five drinks later we were chatting like we were best friends, making fun of the people from town. Haymitch and Katniss were in absolute stitches about my imitations of the townies, and I felt bad about gossiping, but the way Katniss was laughing was just the most beautiful sound to my ears.

"I got to shut down," said Katniss, "Have hunting in the morning."

"Oh right," I said, "Get me a squirrel?"

"You eat the squirrels?"

"Yeah, they're my favourite."

"Sure," she replied.

"Walk her home boy," said Haymitch.

Right idiot. "Yes, I can walk you home."

"I don't need a babysitter," she replied.

"GIrl, the boy will walk you home," said Haymitch.

She sighed, "Fine, let's go." I stumbled after her. When we got to her house, it was apparent how drunk she was.

"Fuck," she said, "I can't go home like this."

"Let's sit in the meadow," I suggested.

"You should go home."

"I can't go home like this," I told her. I think I saw a small hint of a smile on her lips. We walked into the middle of the meadow and plopped ourselves down. "I don't know why I drank so much tonight," she said.

"Because your two best friends are going to the capitol," I replied.

She didn't deny it like I thought she would she just said, "Yeah. I guess."

"I'm sorry. It must be hard to lose two friends to the games," I said.

"Gale came back though," she said but then added grimly, "well a version of him came back."

"Was that hard? Him coming back?"

"I wanted him back, but it was difficult."

"I always thought you two would get married," I admitted.

"Everyone did. I just wasn't ready," she told me, "I don't want kids."

"Marriage and kids can be exclusive," I told her.

"Not with Gale." This conversation was, and I never imagined I'd be having it with her. Alcohol does that though. It breaks down walls.

I then ruined it by saying, "I would marry you and respect your wishes."

She went silent for a long time. I thought maybe I just imagined saying it, but then she spoke, "Well, I think you've had too much to drink."

"You're beautiful Katniss," I said because she had to know.

"No, I'm not."

"You are. You're so brave and smart and perfect and…" Suddenly her lips were on mine, and she was on top of me. I felt her kisses electrify every part of me. I didn't want to push it further. I was happy just to kiss her. However, my judgement was off. So was hers. Within no time our clothes came off, and it barely lasted two minutes. She immediately got up and hastily walked away without so much of a goodbye. It was nothing like I wanted and I wondered if I'd taken advantage of her.

Uh oh. Let me know what you think